


Having Hope

by V_Vio_let



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Gender-neutral Reader, M/M, Other, Reader-Insert, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26261932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_Vio_let/pseuds/V_Vio_let
Summary: Life is unfair.Being stuck in the hospital for seven years, you’ve finally fallen into a deep slumber.Though you weren’t expecting to wake up in a world of bugs and infections.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 88





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> [Gender-neutral reader]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mild swearing

"[Name]! I've brought you your favorite!"

You looked over at your mom to see her holding a tub of [favorite/food], you smiled slightly and sat up. You let out a pained groan and fell back into your bed, your mom's eyes widen as she put the food to the side and ran to you. She pushed your [h/c] away from your face as she eased you back into the bed.

"Be careful [Name], you know what the doctors said about you moving a lot." Her voice was strained, [Name] could see that they're mom was trying not to cry. They nodded their head and settle back in the hospital bed. 

"Mom."

"Y-yes honey?" Your mom grabbed your hand softly and looked at you with teary eyes. 

"Will I ever be able to leave this place?" You asked, you look down to see wires connected to all over your body. You knew you wouldn't be able to get out of here, you've lost hope a long time ago. But you wanted your mom to have hope, so you'd listen to her little rambling on how your body will become strong enough to get out of here. 

"Of course! Then we'll see Papa and Nana! You'll get pet Lucifer again... I bet you miss her. We'll be ok." Your mother started sniffling, she wiped her eyes and started to cry. You frowned, never has she been this bad. What happened?

"Mom? Is everything ok?" You asked, she finally looked up at you with a quivering frown. 

"I love you so much. My baby, my sweet baby. Why, why must the universe take my sweet baby." She cried, she laid her head down on your lap. You looked down at her with a sad smile, you knew it. 

You gently caress your mom's head, trying to get her to calm down. Her crying grew louder, you let out a small hiccup. You knew this was coming, but why does it hurt so much? Tears fell down your cheek as you leaned up slightly. It hurt, but you wanted to hold you mom, just for a moment, you wanted to feel her warmth. 

And for a moment you wanted to be a normal kid. 

It was an odd feeling for you, for the past seven years you've been in this room. At times you would get discharged only to be brought back. It was horrible, you knew you'd never get better so you gave up. 

You noticed how each day there's a new wire, how each day your mom would bring your most favorite things. It dawned on you that you didn’t have much time left. 

Sometimes you wished you could live longer. 

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you too my sweet baby.”

__

“We’re losing them!”

“Someone get the defibrillator!”

“Stand back! Ok, one, two, three... clear!”

“They’re flatlining!”

“◾️N▫️A◾️M⬛️ E! ”

__

-

"Sleep now child, I will see you very soon."

-

Your body jolted, everything was aching. You let out a pained groan as you rolled onto your side, you wanted it to stop. Taking deep breaths, you tried to calm your racing heart. Opening your eyes finally, you noticed the scenery around you. 

"Huh? Where am I?" You asked yourself, pushing yourself up you walked over to the blue water. 

"I haven't seen a lake this blue before." You mumbled to yourself, you crouched down and stuck your hands into the water. You smiled slightly, for a moment you were distracted on how nice and cool the water is. You froze for a moment, it finally settled in that you’re not in the hospital anymore. Throwing yourself back, you looked down at yourself. 

“W-wait! I’m not at the hospital! Wait! I shouldn’t even be alive!” You screamed, you reached up and pinched your cheeks hard. You let out a pained yelp and rubbed your cheeks softly. 

“So I’m not dead or asleep. But where am I? Is this some type of practical joke...” You paused, getting back up, you walked over to a pile of rocks and pushed them over. “Ok, maybe this is an elaborate prank. But who would prank me? And how would I be able to move around so much?” You look down at your legs, they seemed fine. It didn’t hurt to move around, twisting your body a bit, you smiled brightly. You can finally move around!

“Damn! I haven’t felt this good since I was eleven! Can I run?” You started walking until you took off, you laughed loudly as you ran around. “This is great! I wonder what else I can do?” You mumbled, you did a couple of jumps, then you twirled around, and when you finally did a handstand... well, not really.

Landing onto your back, you laughed again, you felt great, you’ve always wished that you could play like this. Sitting up, you looked at the lake, scooting closer to the edge, you took off your shoes and socks and stuck your feet in. 

“What a nice feeling.” You hummed, you closed your eyes, and enjoyed the peaceful moment. You listened as the water slosh as you gently kicked back and forth. Then you felt something touch you, opening your eyes you looked to the side to see a creature with a white head and horns. It had some type of blue rags on, and from what you can see, its body is black. 

“Huh...?”

It tilted their head to the side as it poked your arm again, it took you a minute to process what’s happening. And when you finally did, you started screaming. 

“W-wait, blue lake, white mask, black body, weird-looking sword... AM I IN HALLOWNEST?” 

“WHAT TYPE OF SHITTY FANFIC TROPE AM I IN?!”


	2. Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: swearing

You stared down at the vessel, it looked back at you with its black holes-for-eyes. Tapping on its head one more time, they quickly slapped your hand. You let out a hiss and rubbed your hand. 

"Rude." You mumbled, without warning, you picked up the vessel and set them in your lap. You raised both of their arms up and squished their little hands. 

"Hm, so you are squishy." The vessel squirmed in your hold, you didn't care though, even though Ghost could kill you in a matter of seconds, your curiosity got the better of you. 

Snapping out of your trance, you let go of the vessel. They dashed away from you, they whipped out their nail and pointed towards you, getting ready to charge at you. Your eyes widened as you scrambled up and raised your hands up in defense. 

"Wait— wait! I'm sorry! I-I was just curious, I've never seen anything like you before!" Not in real life that is. 

"I came off as bold didn't I? Um, I'm [Name]!" You introduced yourself, you bowed slightly to them. You weren't sure how you're taking this so lightly. Maybe you should be more freaked out that you're in a game now... 

Nah, this is better than being in a hospital bed dead. 

"Um, so, what should I call you?" You already knew that they couldn't tell you. And from what you saw on the internet, everyone just calls them Ghost. 

They didn't answer you of course, but they did lower their nail. Ghost walked over to you slowly, they looked cautious about encountering you again. Makes sense, you did just pick them up and squished their little hands. 

"I promise I won't pick you up again... Maybe." You mumbled the last bit, you've always found Ghost cute, with their beady black eyes and their... they're just cute that's all.

Ghost stood next to you, they looked you up and down. They reached their hand out and poked your thigh, you didn't react, you didn't want to scare them off. 

"What if I call you Ghost?" You asked the vessel, they glanced at you before going back to poking your thigh. 

Wait.

Isn't this technically breaking the whole stupid rules that the Pale King set up? Ghost isn't supposed to be curious unless it's like Ghost is portraying the actual player...

You're reading too much into this. 

Maybe you're in a more of a fanon than canon? Hm, either way, you're going to enjoy this as long as you can. 

You smiled at the vessel as they poked your thigh more, you let out an awkward laugh. Why are they so obsessed with your thighs? 

You watched as Ghost poked your thigh again, this time you noticed why they're so interested. Each time they poked at your thigh it would jiggle a bit, your face paled as you took a step away from them. 

"You can stop that now! Geez, and here I thought I was being rude for squishing your little hands." You huffed, you looked down at Ghost to see their head lowered. Your heart ached at the sight. Crouching down, you gently patted their head. 

"Hey now, I was just kidding. Um, you can touch my thighs later. Right now I kinda want to find a safe place to rest." You said Ghost looked up at you. They paused for a moment before nodding their head, they turned away from you and walked towards the exit. They stopped for a moment and looked back at you. 

You smiled, never would you've thought that Ghost would lead you somewhere safe. You wanted to squeal, but that would probably scare them off. You jogged towards the vessel, standing over them, they gave you a little nod before leading you out. 

You looked back for a moment, you felt a bit of fear overcome you. You know what Hallownest is going through, you weren't even sure if you'd survive here. You frowned, you just got here, it'll be sad to just die in a matter of seconds due to the infected. You felt your shorts being tugged on, looking down you saw Ghost staring at you. 

"Ah, sorry. I was just in my own thoughts." You laughed awkwardly, Ghost stared at you for a moment before turning away. You followed the little vessel, you focused on their white head. You've always wondered if they felt lonely on this journey. You knew there was Quirrel that traveled around but then he dies, or you know, implies that he dies. 

Well, Ghost isn't supposed to have feelings. Your face scrunched up, you love the lore but that shit is hard to piece together at times. 

Wait, back to Quirrel. 

Is he dead yet? You tapped Ghost's head, they stopped walking and turned towards you. Smiling at them, you crouched down to their height. 

"Do you have a map by any chance?" You asked, they paused for a moment before nodding their head. They open their cloak and took out a rolled-up piece of paper. Taking it from them, You looked at their descriptive map. You saw how Ghost only made it to about five places in total. 

"Hm, so you haven't been to the Resting Grounds yet..." You mumbled to yourself, you rolled the paper back up. That's good, that means Ghost hasn't been able to break the seals yet. You handed the map back to Ghost, they shoved it back into the cloak and started walking again. 

You hummed to yourself, you couldn't exactly remember the whole game. It's been a while since you've played it, you only remember the major events. So when Ghost suddenly took out their nail and stopped you, you look past them to see a Great Husk Sentry. Your eyes widened, you swallowed the lump in your throat, you've always had trouble with these guys so you would usually avoid them. 

But now that you're in the game and don't have the same abilities as Ghost, there's no chance in hell that you could get past that husk. Taking a step back, you covered your mouth trying not to make any sounds. As you stepped back you slipped back onto a rock. You felt back hit the rock, you let out a pained gasp and rolled off onto the ground. Tears welled up in your eyes, your back was in so much pain. You tried your best not to scream, but it was hard not to. 

The Great Sentry turned around when it heard the commotion, it looked down to see you laying on the ground. You could feel its heavy steps coming towards you, looking up you saw it raise its nail. You were frozen in fear, your body was telling you to run, but you just couldn't. Closing your eyes, you turned your head away, accepting that you won't make it out alive. 

You could hear the heavy breathing of the Husk Sentry, then there was a clashing noise. Opening your eyes, you saw Ghost striking down at the husk, you felt relief overcome you. With that; you scrambled up and ran behind the large rock. Placing a hand on your heart, you tried to calm yourself. You could hear the clashing sound of nails, you peeked your head from behind the rock. You saw Ghost jumping above the husk, they slashed down at it getting a few hits before the husk raised its shield, blocking Ghost's attacks. 

"You can do it Ghost!" You encourage, they looked back at you for a second only for them to get hit by the husk. You let out a hiss and hid yourself behind the rock, maybe you shouldn't have distracted them. 

You sat down and listened to the clashing noises, after a while, everything settled down. Getting up, you peeked your head over the rock. You saw Ghost standing by the dead husk, they were covered in the orange infection. You slowly made your way towards Ghost, they didn't even acknowledge you. Ghost put away their nail and walked away from you, your eyes widen as you followed them. 

"G-Ghost? Um, I'm sorry for distracting you. I didn't think you'd get hit by the husk." You apologized, they chose to ignore you. Puffing our cheeks, you let out a huff as you walked past them. Standing in front of Ghost, you stopped them from walking away from you. 

They looked up at you, they didn't make any head movements, but you could tell that they were annoyed. You frowned and lowered your head, you felt guilty about Ghost getting hurt. 

"I'm really sorry Ghost, I know what I did was inappropriate. But please know that I was trying to encourage you!" You tried to explain yourself, Ghost turned their head away from you. It felt like a stab to the heart, now you feel worse. 

"I-I'll let squish my cheeks!"

That came out of nowhere, Ghost seemed to perk up at your offer. They looked back at you for a moment before nodding their head, you smiled brightly and crouched down. What a weird little vessel, who knew they would like squishy things? 

You felt two hands on your cheeks, Ghost started to push your cheeks together. You let out a hum as they pushed and pulled your cheeks, it hurt a bit, but you deserve it. It felt like hours until Ghost stopped, they moved their arms back under their cloak, they had a satisfied look as they turned away from you. 

You smiled brightly, you had a feeling that you were forgiven. Standing back up, you followed after Ghost. 

-

"So, uh, do you know where we're going?" You asked, Ghost stopped for a moment. They looked up like they were thinking on what to say, they looked back at you and shook their head. Your face fell, yeah, you knew that you were heading towards the Resting Grounds, but being in the game the place was much bigger than you thought. 

You two continued your walk in silence, it was nice, a bit boring but nice. You looked to the side to see graves laying around. You frowned, how sad that no one can visit these graves anymore. 

You lowered your head, you wondered if you were already buried. You don't like remembering your death, it's hard to think that after all those years in the hospital, you died in the end. 

You shook your head, you didn't want to think about that! You're in Hallownest! In a game that you've admired, you shouldn't be sad...

Actually, why were you brought here? This game is sad, honestly this is the last place you wanted to end up at. You sighed, life is truly cruel. 

You felt Ghost hit your legs, snapping out of your trance, you looked down to see them crouching down like they're in pain. Your eyes widen as you lowered yourself to them. 

"Ghost! Are you alright?" You yelled, they didn't respond back. You looked around to see a white dome around you two, you looked up to see the Dreamers. You shivered slightly, their appearance from your angle made them look frighteningly. 

"Go no further, little shadow.  
What compels its climb out of the darkness? What compels its return to this sacred kingdom?"

"A call from beyond the Seals?  
By the Vessel, or by that captive light?"

"Would the Seals break?  
They cannot be undone."

"But the Vessel weakens.  
That plague springs anew.  
They must be undone."

"Yet still our Seals remain.  
Our duty holds."

"It must be cast away."

"Our duty holds.  
It shall be done."

"Fade away, little shadow.  
Fade away, and let us sleep in peace."

You looked back down to see Ghost's limp body laying on the ground, you reached out to them. You wrapping your arms around them, you pulled Ghost close to your body. 

"Don't worry Ghost, I know exactly where to go next." You said to the sleeping vessel, standing up, you ran away from the shrine. 

It's time to see Seer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dreamers: nooo you can’t just exist
> 
> Ghost: nail goes brrr


	3. Seer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: swearing

You looked up at the platforms, your face fell at the sight of how high they are. Setting Ghost down, you looked around to see some hanging vegetation. You could weave a basket, heh, if you could, you would thank your grandma for teaching you about crafts. You climbed onto one of the stone casket and grabbed some of the vines, sitting on top of the casket you quickly started to weave a nice sized basket. 

You wiped your forehead, you looked at the green basket. It didn't look good, but you're sure it'll get the job done. Jumping down from the casket, you set it down. Walking over to Ghost, you shook them a bit, when they didn't respond, you guessed that they're still in the dream world. Picking them up, you gently put the vessel into the basket. 

Grabbing the straps you tugged on them a bit, making sure that they're secure. Smiling, you were satisfied with your work. Putting on the basket, you looked back up at the platforms. Crouching down, you jumped up and clawed at the rocky ledge. Kicking your feet up, you heaved your way onto the platform. 

"For fuck sakes, I just got out of the hospital." You slightly at your own joke, standing up, you panted slightly. You barely made any progress and you're already working up a sweat.

"This is going to take a while." You panted, you looked at all the platforms above you and deflated slightly. You wish you could fly. 

-Two hours later-

"He...lp... me..." You cried out, you pulled yourself onto the final ledge. You wanted to cry, you've been doing this for so long. You heaved yourself up, taking a small breather, you slouched down. If you could, you would throw up, but you've already done that three ledges ago. You dragged yourself into Seer's room, you were tired and sweaty, you just hoped she didn’t ask a lot of questions. 

The moth perked up at the sight of you, she leaned forward slightly, trying to get a good look at you. Letting out a huff, you took off the basket from your back. Grabbing Ghost, you laid him down onto one of her many pillows. 

"Hm, I was expecting the vessel, but not an unknown creature." She laughed, she got up from her spot and slowly made her way towards you. She reached up and cupped your cheeks, you let out a huff, what's with these bugs going for your cheeks. She pushed your cheeks together and hummed to herself, once she finally stopped, you rubbed your bruised cheeks. It's starting to hurt from how much everyone has been touching them. 

"Come, come. It's not every day you get otherworldly creatures." She hummed, she sat back down in her spot and patted the spot beside her. You smiled a bit, she kinda reminds you of your grandma. You followed her lead and sat down on the pillow beside her. 

"Thank you for the hospitality, uh, so, your Seer right?"

"Yes, But I don't remember telling you that." 

Shit! You forgot about that, you cleared your throat. You didn't know what to do, you scratched your neck trying to figure out what to say. 

"Really? I guess I'm just good at guessing then." You laughed, you looked away from the moth, you were in a pickle. 

"You're not from here are you?"

"Well, yeah! You said yourself that I'm an unknown creature."

"No, I mean that you don't belong here." She said, your body tensed up. Could she tell? Well, it wasn't hard to figure out, you doubted anyone has seen a human before. You bit your lip, how are you supposed to explain yourself?

'Oh, well, I was in the hospital for a while before passing away, then BAM! I'm suddenly in a game that Team Cherry made!' 

Telling her that would probably make you seem like some type of lunatic...

Wait, you're talking to bugs...

This game is a wild ride, to begin with. 

"Uh, maybe, maybe not. I just kinda woke up here." You said, simple but most likely effective. 

"Hm, well ok then..." She trailed off, she took one last look at you before turning attention to Ghost. "It seems our little friend is finally waking up." She said, you looked down to see Ghost stirring in their sleep. They suddenly sat up, they looked around dazed and seemingly confused. 

"Ahhhh, you've returned. Welcome back to the waking world." Ghost finally looked at the moth, they tilted their head to the side as stared at Seer. 

"Those figures, those Dreamers... they reached out with what little power they still have and dragged you into that hidden place. But that talisman you now wield, the Dream Nail... it can cut through the veil that separates the waking world from our dreams. Even the Dreamers themselves can not hide from such a weapon." She paused, she fumbled a bit with her wings before clearing her throat to continue. 

"Though I must admit, that sacred blade has dulled over time. Together perhaps, we can restore its power. You only have to bring me Essence. Essence... the precious fragments of light that dreams are made of. Collect it wherever you find it, and bring it to me. Once we have enough, we can work wonders together."

"Go out into the world, Wielder. Hunt down the Essence that lingers there!  
Collect 100 Essence and return to me. I will teach you more..." 

Thank goodness she's done talking, you always forget that she has a lot of dialogue. You stood up and stretched out your limbs, you're ready to get back into action. You looked down at Ghost to see them still sitting down. You tilted your head to the side, they patted down on the ground beside them. 

"Huh?"

"It seems like they want you to sit back down." Seer said, you looked back at her and nodded your head. You got that, but you're confused as to why they want you to sit back down. Slowly lowering yourself down, you sat beside Ghost, they quickly got up from their spot and climbed into your lap. 

You clenched your heart, tears of joy flowed down your cheek as Ghost snuggled into your lap. They're just too damn cute!

"I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life." You cried, you shook your head and looked down at Ghost. They tilted their head back to look at you, they lifted up one of their arms and tapped on your nose. You let out a giggle as you grabbed their hand and moved it away from your face. 

"What's up with you? You're acting much more different now. More affectionate that is." You asked the vessel, they just stared at you before looking away and jumping off your lap. Your eyes widen at how quickly their mood changed. 

"They've grown fond of you." Seer said, you looked over at her and tilted your head to the side. 

"I got that, but why so quickly?"

The moth let out a hum, she lowered her head as she swayed back and forth as she thought. Once she finally got it, she pointed at you. Her antennas vibrated a bit from her sudden excitement. 

"You've been giving them some type of affections. From what I can recall, vessels were raised to have no thoughts nor feelings, if they do then they're deemed failures. It seems this little vessel grown to like your little pats." She laughed, you bit your lip. What a cruel life, you looked at Ghost to see them looking at the ground intently. 

You're changing things and not for the better.

For the infection to be gone, Ghost needed to defeat the Radiance. In the end, sacrificing themselves. Your brows furrowed, you didn't want that. Ghost didn't deserve that ending. 

Maybe you could do something? You could help Ghost, maybe even defeating the Radiance yourself? Even if it cost you your life, you wanted to do it. You have nothing to lose, you wanted Ghost to have more in life, not some shitty destiny that their father created. 

You got up, you had a determined look as you turned towards Seer. Her antennas perked up as she tilted her head to the side. 

"What are you up to..."

"The names [Name]! And I plan to learn how to use a nail!" You shouted, the two gave you a curious look. Your cheeks turned pink as you rubbed the back of your head. 

"Do you by any chance have a nail I could have?" You asked Seer, she let out a laugh and shook her head. 

"No, but I can do you better." Seer got up from her spot, she shakily walked over towards a pile of pillows, she threw them behind her causing a couple to hit you and Ghost. You let out a giggle as you caught one of the pillows, looking down at Ghost, you plopped on top of their head. 

The vessel looked up, they reached up to it and grabbed it off of their horns. They looked down at it before chucking it at your face, a loud bam could be heard as the pillow slammed against your face.

The pillow fell to the ground, you felt a searing pain in your nose, blinking, you felt something run down from your nose. Reaching up, you touched the liquid. You looked at your hand to see blood on your fingers, you just shrugged your shoulders. You took off your t-shirt and bunched it up, you pushed it up against your bleeding nose and tilted your head back. 

Meanwhile, Ghost was freaking out. They tugging at your shorts as they watched you tilt your head back. After a bit, you looked back down at Ghost and gave them a grin. 

"Hey, you can calm down now. I'm ok! I used to get a lot of nosebleeds when I was..." You paused for a moment, you couldn't just say that you were in a hospital, you're not even sure if they knew what that is. "Back home..." Sure, that works. 

"Oh dear, I've turned my back for one moment and you're already injured." Seer huffed, she shuffled her way towards you. She wrapped some type of cloak around your shoulders and grabbed your bloody shirt from your hands. 

"Hm, interesting. I've never seen red blood before." She mumbled, she shook her head and dropped the shirt. "Now, take this cloak, it'll make you look less out of place. I've been keeping it for some reason, and now it has a reason!" She laughed, you wrapped the rest of the cloak around your body. 

You looked down and smiled brightly, it was a beige color, though normally you’d go for [f/c] you were happy with how it looks. You especially loved the tufts of fluff around the collar, it was pretty cold in Hallownest so far, but this cloak instantly warmed you up. Looking at Seer, you were tempted to hug her, but you tried not to overstep your boundaries...

Ah, to hell with that!

You wrapped your arms around Seer and squeezed her softly, you buried your head in her fluffy shoulder. You head her let out a small yelp, she was tense for a moment before she wrapped her arms around you. 

“Thank you so much, I’ll cherish this forever.” You mumbled, Seer let out a small laugh and shook her head. 

“I’m glad it’s finally being put to good use. Now then, go off you two. I hope to see you very soon.” She said, she was the first to pull away from the hug. You nodded your head and turned towards Ghost. 

“Lead the way, Ghost! Let’s get me a nail to wield!” You laughed, Ghost nodded their head and quickly walked out of the room. You let out a giggle and followed after them, you stopped for a moment and turned towards Seer. 

“See you later Granny!” You shouted, you turned back towards the exit and ran out of Seer’s room. The moth tilted her head to the side as she settled back down in her spot. 

“Granny?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Proceeds to forget to collect 100 essence*


	4. Old Stag

"Shit, I forgot my basket." You snapped your fingers, you worked so hard on that basket too. You watched as Ghost jumped down the ledge, you walked to the edge and grimaced. 

"There's a possibility I might roll my ankles." You mumbled, you watched as Ghost waved their arms at you. "Welp, that gave me a boost of confidence for some reason." You laughed, you sat down on the ledge and pushed off. You landed on the ledge with no problems, well, your ankles burned a bit. 

"Alright, just a couple of more ledges!" You laughed, Ghost tilted their head at you. You stared back with a lopsided smile, you patted Ghost head before turning away from them. 

You let out a 'hup' as you jumped onto the next platform, you looked over to see a Whispering Root, walking over to it, you touched one of the branches. 

"Ghost! Come over here and look at this!" You called out, the vessel perked up at your voice. They quickly jumped over to you, they walked over and tilted their head up. You looked back down at them and flashed them a wide grin. 

"I think these are called Whispering Root, they contain the essence that Granny was talking about." You explained, Ghost looked at the root, they reached out to it and touched one of the lower branches. Ghost stared at it for a bit before taking out their Dream Nail. 

You watched as Ghost hit the Whispering Root, you were awe as you watched the essence fly out of the root. You reached up to one of the essences and cupped it in your hand, opening your hands you looked at the red ball of light.

"Look at this Ghost, it has a pretty glow to it, doesn't it?" You asked the vessel, you crouched down to their height and held out the ball to them. Ghost touched your hand and they looked at the ball of essence, you smiled as they reached out and touched it, only for it to disappear. 

Ghost tensed up when it disappeared, they looked around to see more essence around. You reached out and rubbed their head. 

"Go on and collect them, I'll wait for you at the station." You laughed, Ghost looked at you and tilted their head. Your eyes widened as you realized that you shouldn't know about the station yet. 

"Aha, well, I saw it earlier when I was carrying you up to Granny's place." You tried to explain, you made a lot of hand motions while doing so. Ghost just shook their head and turned away from you, you stopped your stammering and smiled. You got the hint. 

"See you in a bit!" You cheered, you gave them a wave as they jumped off the platform. You giggled softly, you turned around and walked to the end of the platform, you sighed softly. 

This is going to take a while. 

-

"Hm, the stag station is so much bigger than I thought it'd be." You mumbled, you walked around the place looking at all the fine details of the place. It was slightly crumbling in a few places, walking over to the bench you leaned down and wiped off the dust. 

"I wonder when's the last time someone has been here?" You asked yourself, you walked over to where the bell is supposed to be, to see that it's still a toll stand. You grimaced, you didn't have any money on you. Frowning you walked back to the bench and sat down. 

There was a loud clinking noise, causing you to perk up. You got back up and plopped down on the bench again, you heard another clank. Opening your cloak, you saw a bag near your hip. A wide grin spread across your face as you stood up and walked over to the tool stand. 

"Oh, ohhhh, ohohoho!" You laughed, you'll have to that Granny when you see her again. Taking out the bag of geo, you grabbed the amount you needed and paid the toll. 

You watched as the toll stand disappeared and was replaced with a bell. Your face brightened at the sight of the bell, you reached out towards it, but you stopped yourself. Maybe you should wait for Ghost, they're the only ones who actually opened up these roads. You bit your lip, you couldn't decide what to do. 

"Welp might as well call him over." You laughed, you reached out and started ringing the bell. You looked over the edge and watched as the gates open, your heart pounded loudly as you could hear the sounds of the Old Stag coming. It was exciting to be able to see that old boy again, you've always liked him, you felt like this Old Stag deserves a lot more love than he gets. 

You tried not to squeal at the sight of the Old Stag halting to a stop, you stood up straight and held your hands together under your cloak. The Old Stag looked over at you, his eyes widened at your appearance. 

"I was expecting the little one, but it's nice to see a new face." He said, you smiled brightly, you thought he'd be more shocked at your appearance, you're glad that he didn't run away. 

"That's very kind of you, but actually, I'm traveling with them. Hopefully, they'll be here soon." You explained, the Old Stag let out a grunt and nodded his head. 

It was quiet, neither of you started up a new conversation. Maybe you should have waited for Ghost to come back from their little adventure. You started to hum a little tune, you sat down on the ledge as you swung your legs back and forth. 

"What is that your humming?" The Old Stag asked, you stopped humming and looked up to see the stag looking at you with a curious look. You perked up, you didn't think he'll actually talk to you again. 

"Oh! It's what my mom used to sing to me, she's always had a pretty voice. I would always tell her that she would be an amazing singer, but she didn't want me to be all alone at the time." You laughed, you looked down at your lap. You hoped she's doing well, you wouldn't want her mourning you for long. She deserves the world, in your opinion. 

"What a pretty tune, do you mind singing for me then?" He asked, your cheeks flared up, you never sang for anyone, nor do you think you can sing. Crafts you're good at, but you could never sing at the hospital, your lungs weren't strong enough at the time. 

"I-I uh... well I can try, but I can't promise it'll be good." You stammered, you cleared your throat, and closed your eyes. You were nervous, you never thought you'd be singing, and to a stag that is!

"Legend has it that the moss grows on  
The north side of the trees."

"Well, legend has it when the rain comes down."

"All the worms come up to breathe." You paused for a moment, you saw the Old Stag laying down on the ground. Gulping, you closed your eyes again and started to sing a little louder. You had to keep your eyes closed the whole time, it was embarrassing for you since—

One: you've never sung to anyone. 

Two: you weren't able to sing when you were alive.

Three: the first person you sang to is the Old Stag, you liked the guy but you never thought you'd sing to him. 

When you finished the song, you could hear clapping, your eyes snapped open as you looked over to see Ghost clapping at you. Your face got hotter, you thought you were only singing to the Old Stag.

"Ghost! I didn't think you'd come here so soon!" You shouted, you could hear the Old Stag laughing, you looked over at him to see him struggling to get up. Looking back at Ghost, you watched as the jumped up and down excitedly. 

"What's up?" You asked the vessel, they opened their cloak and pulled out a charm. They raised it up so you could get a closer look at it, grabbing the charm from them, you saw that it's the Dreamshield charm. Handing it back to Ghost, you rubbed their head. 

"That's really cool Ghost! Are you going to put it on?" You asked, you wondered what it'll look like from your view, maybe it'll look cooler. Ghost shook their head, they put it back in their cloak and looked back at you. 

"I'm happy to see that the little one is finally traveling with someone, personally I was worried about them." The stag grunted, you turned towards him and tilted your head to the side. 

"You were concerned about Ghost?"

"Ghost? Is that their name?” He mumbled. 

But yes, I do get concerned about them, I’ve been taking them to a lot of dangerous places. I got worried when I didn’t see them for a while, but next thing I know it, they’re ringing another bell. They were so distant at that time too, emotionless even, but I’m glad they’re expressing themselves now.” He grunted, you beamed, looking over at Ghost, they flinched slightly from your bright smile. 

“I’m glad they’re changing, hopefully they’ll continue to grow in a better light!” You laughed, you reached down and picked up the vessel. Ghost tensed up as you nestled them against your chest. 

“Anyways, we shouldn’t take much more of your time. Where are we going next Ghost?” You asked, Ghost took out their map and pointed towards a weird-looking hut. It was in the City of Tears and when you thought about it, that must be where the Nailsmith is! 

“Alrighty, to the City of Tears we go!” You said cheerfully, you jumped off from the ledge and ran over to the Old Stag. He laughed at your excitement and crouched slightly so you could get on. 

Ghost stared up at your face, they felt something bubbly inside of them. They couldn’t tell if it was good or bad, they felt your arms wrap around them tighter. A wave of emotions made them dizzy; they plopped their head against your chest hoping that their dizziness will go away. 

They could hear something in your chest, Ghost was confused as to what it is. Even though they didn’t know what that beating was, they liked it. They felt something, and they couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. 

They’ll just enjoy this moment with you as long as they can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The actual song is called The Moss
> 
> It’s pretty good!


	5. Quirrel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for the past week! So I made this chapter extra long!

You looked around in awe, the City of Tears, well, the station of the City of Tears. It seems so lonely but it had a pretty touch to it, your whole attitude brightened up at the thought. You couldn't wait to explore this place! Turning towards the Old Stag, you gave him a wide smile and bowed to him. 

"Thank you!" You laughed, looking up at him, you heard the stag let out a grunt. Nodding his head towards he accepted your thanks. 

"It was no problem, be safe out there, a lot of things have changed about this place."

You gave the stag one final wave before running out of the room with Ghost. You were excited, you couldn't wait to see the city!

-

"Huff... I didn't realize... huff... that the path was this bad." You fell to the ground; exhausted from all the climbing. You haven't even made it to that weird swing area yet, you're dreading every step at this point.

Ghost looked back at you, they ran to your side and grabbed onto your cloak. You looked down at them and smile, reaching out from the cloak, you rubbed their head gently. 

"Hey, I'm ok, just tired. My body isn't used to all this exercise, we've been doing this all day and I haven't eaten anything." You laughed, Ghost leaned against your touch, you let out a snicker as you got up, picking up the vessel in the process.

"Let's keep going, I bet if we stay here any longer, the infected will catch up." You hummed, Ghost nodded their head and jumped out of your arms. You smiled as they lead you out of the large room, there was a sudden brightness, flinching, you closed your eyes. 

Opening them, you looked to see a wide room, your face fell when you looked over to the edge to see the swing-like platforms. Looking over to Ghost, you saw them at the end of the platform, waiting for you. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you walked over to them shakily. 

"Um, Ghost, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it down without breaking something." You admitted, Ghost tilted their head, they walked up to you and grabbed onto your cloak, pulling you closer to the edge. Your eyes widen as you dug your heels into the ground, you didn't feel like risking your life right now. Well, not this way. 

"Ghost, I'm serious, I got fragile bones." You said, Ghost chose to ignore you, and drag you closer to the edge. You knew there was no way out of this. You felt Ghost tug at your cloak more, letting out a sigh, you finally oblige. 

Taking small steps to the edge, you looked over to see that the platform was closer than you thought. Taking a deep breath; you pump yourself up. You're not going to just jump, that's reckless. Jogging in place, you slapped your cheek lightly, setting you in the right mindset. 

"Ok, let's do this!" You screeched, and with that, you jumped off the ledge. 

You landed on the platform with a loud 'thump!' Your ankles burned from the landing, but you made it! You crouched down as you felt the platform jostle from your weight. You felt sick from the movement, covering your mouth, you tried your best not to throw up again. 

Swallowing the bile, you looked up to see Ghost jumping off the edge. They landed next to you, causing the platform to move again. Your stomach churned from the swaying, sticking your tongue out, you kept yourself low to the platform. 

"Ok, what now?" You asked, Ghost tilted their head as they pointed down. Your face paled, yeah, you already forgot that you had a lot more platforms to land on. Taking a deep breath, you got up shakily. Oh, if only you could fly...

Being distracted, you didn't notice that the two of you were spotted by a sentry. You could hear some type of buzzing noise close to you, it sounded like some type of bug was flying. Looking up, you saw a sentry preparing to throw a lance at you two. 

Your whole body tensed up as you saw it chuck its lance towards Ghost. You reached out towards the vessel, trying to get them to move in time. 

"Ghost! Move!" You screamed, Ghost turned away from you and saw the sentry. Their movements were quick, making it that they successfully dodged the lance. But now, that leaves you watching the lance coming towards you. 

You let out a yelp as you quickly threw yourself to the side, barely dodging the lance. You felt yourself skidding back, you clawed at the platform, trying to stop yourself from falling off the edge. You could feel yourself, getting closer to the edge, so you twisted yourself; so only your bottom half would be hanging off the edge. 

Hanging off the edge, you looked up to see Ghost reaching for their nail. They glanced back at you for a moment before focusing back on the sentry. You took a deep breath as you tried to pull yourself up.

As if things couldn't get worse, you heard another buzzing noise. You looked over to your right to see another sentry, you felt your heart pump faster as you tried to scramble yourself back onto the platform. You kept looking over at the sentry, they're preparing to throw their lance at you.

You knew that even if you managed to get onto the platform, the lance would still impale you. Your only chance at surviving was to... let go. 

You let yourself slide back, it was a scary feeling, you're not even sure if this was a better option. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you closed your eyes and let go of the edge.

You felt the rushing wind around you, it was scary knowing that you're plummeting to your death. Goodness, you sure didn't last that long. Maybe you should have just called out to Ghost? 

"I sure am dumb sometimes."

Your eyes snapped open when you felt an arm wrap around you, blinking, you were suddenly on the ground. Looking around frantically, you caught a glimpse of something blue darting off. 

"Um, ok, well, I don't know how to feel right now." You laughed, your whole body felt heavy, you swayed for a moment before falling back: blacking out in the process. 

-

"What an interesting creature, never in my years of travel have I seen something like this."

You felt a hand on your face, you scrunched up your nose at the feeling. Opening your eyes, you let out a groan and pushed the hand off of your face. Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes. 

"What happened?" 

You looked up to see another bug, it took a minute for you to process who it was. When you finally realized who it was, your face brightened. 

"Quirrel!" You exclaimed, Quirrel tilted his head. Your face paled, did you say that out loud? You bit the inside of your cheek.

'Hey dumb-dumb, did you forget that no one knows who you are?' You yelled at yourself. 

"Do I know you?" He asked you had to come up with something. From what you remember, Quirrel doesn't remember ever being in Hallownest until later in the game, you could use that to your advantage. 

"You don't remember me? It's me [Name], we were friends when we were younger." You lied, you bit your lip. You didn't like lying, but you couldn't just use the—

'Aha! It's just a coincidence!' That wouldn't work on Quirrel, but honestly, how many Quirrels are out there?

Quirrel stared at you, he leaned down and took a closer look at your face. You leaned away, did he catch onto your lie? There's no way! You might not be the greatest liar but there's no way that he could tell that you're lying. Quirrel leaned back, he put his hand under his chin and shook his head. 

"Sorry, but I don't know who you are. It's not your fault, recently my memory has been a bit hazy." He admitted.

You pulled up the cloak to cover half of your face, you bit your lip. What are you supposed to say now? Maybe something about how that saddens you?

"Oh... I see." You mumbled, you lowered your head, in your opinion, this is the best acting you've ever done. You personally think you deserve an award for this.

"Ah! Don't look so down, maybe there's someone else that looks like me." He said, you smirked, there's your ticket out of this lie. 

"Maybe, but you look so much like him..." You mumbled, you dug your head deeper into the fluff. You looked through the strays to see Quirrel looking down sadly, your heart broke at the sight. You didn't mean to make him sad. Pulling your cloak down, you got up from the bench and looked down at Quirrel with a small smile. 

"Hey, you might not be the Quirrel that I know, but I'd like to get to know you." You said, he looked up at you and nodded his head. You laughed awkwardly and took a step away from him. 

"That was an awkward moment, sorry, sometimes I—uh, let the past get to me?" You mumbled, it came out more of a question than a statement. Quirrel let out a chuckle and nodded his head. 

"Don't worry about it, we all have our moments." He hummed, you smiled at him. God you missed him, you cried for hours when he died, you didn't understand how Team Cherry could do him like that. 

"Anyways, where's Ghost?" 

"Ghost? Who's that?"

As on cue, Ghost jump out from below and walked over to the two of you. You noticed that Ghost was carrying two dead vengeflies, they noticed you and dropped the dead bugs. They ran over to you and jumped into your arms, you let out a grunt at the weight hitting your chest. 

"Hey, Ghost." You laughed, Ghost dug their head deeper into your chest as they clenched onto your cloak. You looked down at them with a worried look, what happened to make them like this?

"Hey, are you alright? What's bothering you?" You asked, Ghost ignore you. Sighing, you sat back down on the bench, you pried them off of your chest and held them in your arms. 

"Hm, I've never seen them like this. I'm surprised, really." You heard you looked up to see Quirrel holding the bugs. You shrugged your shoulders, you were confused too, but by now, you're not going to question it. 

"I don't know either, maybe they just grew fond of me because of how squishy I am?" You laughed, you pointed towards your cheeks. Quirrel laughed, he nodded his head agreeing with you. 

"I noticed that." He hummed, you gave him a cheeky smile before looking back down at Ghost. You shook them a bit, they didn't respond, you guessed that they were asleep. Slowly getting up, you set Ghost down on the bench, you opened your cloak only to close it again.

"Oops, forgot that I'm not wearing a shirt." You mumbled, you shook your head and crouched down, you rubbed their head softly before turning towards Quirrel. 

"Soooo... what are the bugs for?" You asked, Quirrel lifted up the two dead vengeflies and looked at them before looking back at you.

"For eating of course."

"What?"

-

You watched as Quirrel cut the flies open, you stuck your tongue out at the sight of the infection pooling around the dead bugs. You knew you had to eat something soon, but you thought you'd pick some fruits, never have you thought you'd be eating bugs for dinner. 

"Can we even eat that?" You asked, you pointed at the lump of orange infection on the inside of the bug. Quirrel turned his head to you and nodded his head. 

"Of course, we have to cook it first so the infection will burn off." He said, he made it sound like it's fine to still eat it. You shook your head and walked back to the small fire, sitting down, you grabbed some of the paper that you found and threw it into the fire. 

'I didn't know they could make fires.' You thought, you've always wondered if they made fires or they never had the need for them. You looked back to see that Ghost was still asleep, you let out a hum. 

"So, since it's just the two of us and you seem like the type who enjoys company; could you tell me about yourself?" You heard you looked over to see Quirrel sitting across from you. He held a skewer over the fire, slowly cooking the two vengeflies.

"Well, what would you like to know? I'm an open book!" 

"How long have you been in Hallownest?"

You were quiet, you didn't know what to say. Biting your lip, you tried to come up with a story. It had to be good, something not too cliché.

"Well, I just got here honestly. My mom moved our family to get away from here, she didn't want to chance us getting the infection. I was sad, I didn't want to leave my friends." You paused, you wanted to praise yourself for the great act, but it wasn't over yet. "But overtime, the infection grew worse and so we left. It wasn't until recently that I decided to come back. I missed it here, it was my home." You felt bad for lying, but you just hoped it didn't come back to bite you. 

Quirrel was quiet, you watched as he turned the skewer slowly. You patted your lap anxiously, goodness, maybe you shouldn't have lied. This is getting too deep, even for you. 

'It's too late to go back, plus, it's better this. To just pretend to be part of Hallownest than some type of alien. The only person who suspects me is the Seer, but I know she won't fib.' You thought, you took a deep breath. This is why you don't lie, because it just takes a toll on you. 

"I'm sorry."

Your head snapped up, you saw Quirrel staring at the fire intently. You tilted your head, why was he apologizing? He didn't do anything wrong to you. 

"What's there to be sorry for?"

"It's just... I can't tell you the reason why I came back here. Well, not a reason that would make sense. I felt like I was called here, for what reason? I don't even know." He sighed, he brought his legs close to his chest. You got up from your spot, walking around the fire, you plopped down next to him. Taking an arm out from under the cloak, you wrapped an arm around Quirrel. 

You could feel him tense up for a moment, then he relaxed against you. He laid his head against your shoulder, he took a deep breath in before letting it out. 

"You're really warm."

"I get that a lot."


	6. Nailsmith

-

"[Name]! Zuke is here!" You looked over at the door tiredly, you watched as Zuke walked in, he gave your nurse a large smile before walking over to your side. He sat down in the seat next to your bed and leaned over to ruffle your hair. 

"How are you holding up?"

"Mm, not good. You know, just got out of surgery... It's not all that fun, I mean, imagine getting cut open like sixty times a year. It starts to take a toll over time." You laughed, Zuke nodded his head. He leaned back and looked down at his lap, he fidgeted with his pants he looked like he's trying to say something. Your brows furrowed as you reached your hand out to him. 

"What's wrong?"

Zuke shook his head, he rubbed his face for a moment. You frowned, you knew when he does that he's having trouble with something. You let your hand hang off the bed, Zuke grabbed his bag and took out his laptop. 

"Alright. Move over, let's try to finish HK tonight!" He said cheerfully, you rolled your eyes. He sure knows how to change the subject. 

"I can't believe you're making a sick person move. I should call your mom." You huffed, Zuke ignored you and pushed you gently. You rolled your eyes again and shifted to the side, you watched as he got onto your bed and open his laptop. Resting your head on his arm, you watched as he booted up the game.

"So are we going to try to beat Nightmare Grimm? Or go to the Pantheon first?" You asked, Zuke thought for a moment, he clicked play and you saw that he was in the Queen's Garden. You glanced up at him and poked his cheek. 

"Hey, this isn't where we left off. Were you playing without me again." You teased, Zuke pushed your hand away. Your brows furrowed, he didn't look like his normal self. You sat up, it hurt, but you wanted to be on Zuke's level. You let out a pained noise as you gripped Zuke's arm. This quickly got his attention. 

"Hey, hey, don't sit up! What's wrong with you? What if you open your stitches, o-or worse!" He yelled, he quickly turned towards you, he placed a hand on your back as he lowered you back down. There was a loud crash, your eyes widen when you saw that Zuke's laptop wasn't on his lap. 

You both froze, Zuke turned away from you and got up. You watched as he picked up the laptop, when he held it up, there were a few cracks in the screen. Your eyes widen as you tried to sit up again. 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Didn't you get that for your birthday? Shit! I-I'll pay for the damages!" You yelled, your breathing quickened as you struggled to get up. 

"[Name]!"

You tensed up, looking up at Zuke, you saw tears sliding down his cheeks. Your eyes widened, you didn't understand. Why was he crying? 

"Zuke I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you drop your laptop—"

"This isn't about the laptop!"

You shut your mouth, Staring up at Zuke with wide eyes, you laid back down onto the bed. Zuke let out a sigh, he sat down on the bed, his back turned towards you. You reached out and grabbed his shirt, tugging on it you lowered your head. 

"Is it about me?"

He didn't say anything, you could hear sobs coming from him. You leaned your head against his back, you didn't want to make him cry. Your grip on him tightened as you closed your eyes. 

"Yes... I can't take it anymore! This isn't fair!" He sobbed, he looked back. You watched as globs of tears slid down his dark cheeks. Biting your lip, you tried not to cry. 

"Why do you have to die?"

-

"[Na..."

"[Name]..."

"[Name]!"

You flinched, looking down, you saw Quirrel gripping onto your cloak. Placing a hand on your forehead, your eyes squinted. You didn't understand why that memory popped up all of the sudden. 

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Well, nothing. It's just, you seemed to be in a daze, you were about to fall into the water." Quirrel said, he pointed towards the end of the path, you shook your head and ran a hand through your hair. 

"Hm, thanks." You mumbled, you were still in a daze. It's been a while since you've seen Zuke, taking a deep breath, you tried to get him out of your head. It was hard, he was your best friend, you lowered your head. 

You missed him. 

"[Name], if you don't mind me asking. What were you thinking about that made you so... dazed?" Quirrel asked. You bit your lip, you weren't in the mood to lie anymore. There was another tug at your cloak, looking down, you saw Ghost trying to get your attention. 

"Do you want to know too?" You asked, the vessel nodded their head. You let out a sigh, ruffling your hair, you tried to come up with something that's not technically a lie but still a bit skewed. 

"Fine. I was thinking about my old friend. I wasn't able to say goodbye to him, I bet he's angry with me. Or worse, heartbroken..." 

You clenched your fist, you quickly wiped your face. Trying your best not to cry, it was hard, knowing that you just left your best friend by himself. You sniffled, walking away from the two. You jumped over to the next path, you didn't want them to see you upset. You're supposed to be happy, you wanted to be happy for them.

"Are you okay?" You felt a hand on your shoulder, looking back, Quirrel stared up at you with a concerned look. You flashed him a quick smile, you shouldn't be sad. You accepted your death and you accepted that you won't be able to see the people you loved anymore. You shouldn't be feeling this way...

"Yeah, totally! Sorry, just felt down for a second! I'm all good though, you know sometimes you feel tired and then you feel sad." You laughed awkwardly, Quirrel stared at you for a moment before nodding his head. He was concerned, he didn't believe that you're alright, but he won't push you any further. 

It was a quiet walk, there was an occasional enemy but they were taken care of quickly. You were still feeling a bit down, but you tried to keep your spirits up. It wasn't until you reached the Nailsmith's little house, you felt excited. Maybe you'll get a cool nail?

Just like in those fanfictions!

There was a skip in your step as you walked into the place, you looked around in awe. Ghost and Quirrel stood by your side as you were bouncing with excitement. 

The Nailsmith looked over to see you three, he jolted at the sight of you. Never in his years has he seen someone like you, he got up from his seat and turned towards you three. 

"What can I do you for?" He asked, your eyes sparkled. You're practically vibrating at this point, there were some confused looks before Quirrel decided to take charge. 

"My friend here was hoping to buy a nail from you, if that's possible of course." He asked, he pointed towards you who was currently trying not to asked the Nailsmith a sea of questions. 

The Nailsmith let out a hum, he looked around, of course there were nails, but you're bigger than most bugs he used to work with. The nails that he has are short, they wouldn't be much help. He tapped the side of his head, he doesn't want to turn away business. 

"I don't have any nails that would fit them, though if you find one I'll be happy to modify it." He grunted, you nodded your head. That'd be better, plus you'd be able to pick one out yourself! 

"Alrighty then! Let's get going!" You cheered, you were about to walk out of the hut when Ghost stopped you. They started waving their arms sporadically, blinking, you crouched down. "Slow down, what're trying to say?" You asked, Ghost looked up at you for a moment. They started moving their arms again, slower this time. 

They pointed at themselves and at Quirrel, then they pointed outside and repeated those same actions for a bit. You let brows furrowed, you copied their movements trying to figure out what exactly they're trying to say. 

"Okay, so, you and Quirrel will go out and find me a nail. Is that what you said?" Ghost nodded their head. You deflated, but you wanted to go to. 

"But why can't I come? It's going to be my nail, I feel like I should pick it out." You whined, you really wanted to pick out a cool nail. Ghost shook their head and made an 'X' with their arms, you let out a huff. You kept on pestering the vessel to let you go, but they kept refusing. After a while, Quirrel had to stop you two. 

"Maybe they want to surprise you? For all we know, maybe they already have a nail in mind for you?" Quirrel said, you looked up at him and pouted. Standing back up, you walked away from the two and plopped by the Nailsmith. You silently pouted as the two left, even if it was a surprise you didn't like being left out. 

It was quiet, the only noise that could be heard was the crackling fire in the furnace. You looked up to see the Nailsmith looking down at you, he flinched and quickly averted his gaze. It was quiet again.

"Ehe, I acted childishly didn't I?" You asked, you scooted yourself so you could sit in front of his little table. You had a large smile, you traced your fingers against lines of the table. "I just don't like being left out." You added.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Though I'm surprised to see that the little wonder is with some companions. Last time I saw them, they were by themselves and very stiff." He murmured, you nodded your head. 

"They acted that way for me too. I was surprised at how quickly they changed." You said, you looked back at him with a large smile. "I want to say it's me, I got a nice personality that can change people." You laughed. 

"Mm, you do seem nice. Would you like any tea?"

"Of course, thank you. Though I wouldn't give myself so much credit. I'm just... me..." You watched as he got up from his spot, you looked back down at the table. The Nailsmith, you've never really paid attention to him, regrettably, you and Zuke killed him off. After you realized that he could have lived a happy life, you felt ashamed for killing him. It was worse to see his body faced down in the water. 

You didn't want to do that again.

You heard a clink. Looking down, you saw a steaming cup of tea. The warmth of the cup was heartwarming, you picked it up and sipped on it quietly, enjoying the moment of peace. 

"So, do you get a lot of company during these dire times?" You asked, the Nailsmith sat back down in his spot. He let out a grunt and shook his head.

"Only the dead and the little wonderer." 

"Hm, I guess there isn't a lot of bugs in Hallownest. It's sad that the infection took over so many minds, but why do you stay here? Couldn't you leave?" You asked, setting your cup down, you looked up at him with a questioning look. 

"I grew up here, I don't particularly know what's out there. Even then, I dream of making the perfect nail. After that... I don't know." He mumbled, he lowered his head, you balled your fist. You knew exactly what he'll do after that, he'll live and go see Sheo then they'll be a happy couple! Something in you burned with determination, if you wanted this as an outcome you must stick with the Nailsmith's original story, you can't interfere! But you needed to say something; something that would lift his spirits a bit. 

Taking a deep breath in, you raised your head up at the Nailsmith. You’re not going to let anything happen to him, nor to anyone, this is your goal. This is why you’re here.

"We all find our calling one day, when we do it can feel like it's actually draining us, but there's always another calling; you just have to look for it." You said, you heard soft patters. Looking over, you saw Ghost and Quirrel. You smiled at them before looking back at the Nailsmith. "And on the way you can make some very dear friends.” 

You stood up from your spot, looking towards the exit, you had a determined look. You had a plan, a plan where everyone lives, a plan where everyone gets a happy ending.

You’re going to save Hallownest!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn’t get a lot of time the Nailsmith but I felt like I gotta keep the plot moving, but don’t worry you’ll see him again


End file.
